Democrats had ruled the state Agriculture Department for a hundred years. Perry immediately ejected Hightower loyalists and Democratic operatives from the agency. He pledged to cut the departments staff by 20 percent and scale down the number of regional offices around the state.

After Rick Perry switched from Democrat to Republican in 1989, he set out to become, in the words of his mentor Phil Gramm, more Catholic than the pope.

During the next 22 years, as he rose to the top of Austins power grid, Perry not only left his Democrat friends behind  he helped destroy them politically. And Texas evolved into a redder-than-red state.

Perry and the GOP took down U.S. Rep. Charlie Stenholm, Texas House Speaker Pete Laney , Texas Agriculture Commissioner Jim Hightower , Texas Comptroller John Sharp and many other Democrats...

Perry has portrayed his move as a matter of principle, while those Democrats, and others, say it was the result of political ambition. Expressing grudging admiration, Stenholm said, Rick has become a master politician.

Stenholm and Perry grew up where pump jacks, cattle and rows of cotton exist side by side on the plains of rural West Texas. Stenholm, a conservative blue dog Democrat, was already in Congress when he helped recruit a 33-year-old Perry to run for state representative in 1984.

....After graduating from Texas A&M in 1972, Perry spent six years as an Air Force pilot and then returned to Haskell County in 1977 to work the farm and ranch with his dad. He had gotten a taste for politics after joining the American Agriculture Movement, which brought the problems of family farmers and ranchers to public attention...........

A very interesting article -- and from a news outlet (as are all MSM Texas outlets) that consistently tears Gov. Perry down. But despite their attempts this piece will help Gov. Rick Perry with the conservative base.

I have to know. I have to. And I ask this not mocking, not wiseacre and in total honesty.

Do you actually believe the things you post? Deep down inside do you really? Like this post for instance. Do you really believe that conservatives will suddenly forget all Rick Perry’s non conservative ideals like his guardasil/TTC/border stances and just think “You know, none of my core beliefs matter to me. This one article has eraced all the facts. I’m gonna vote for Perry now.”

Do you really believe that? If not then why did you say it?

And again, this is a dead serious question and I’d like a yes or no answer please.

Nobody asked me, but I have to say I just can’t get a fix on Perry. That’s what’s kept him sitting on the sidelines for me. I simply don’t know if he’s genuine or full of it, strong or mushy, able to communicate or not.

In terms of those running, most of them are not even up for consideration as far as my support. As of now, it’s between Cain and Gingrich. Perry might convince me, but I just cannot get a good clear read on the guy.

Not trying to troll, I post it here purely for feedback because you have posted many Perry articles and I have read many of them, so you’re my “Perry poster” so to speak, and I appreciate your postings. Sorry I couldn’t give you better news.

I appreciate your honesty. I’m posting information as I find it. Hopefully posters like the one already trolling this thread, working to keep others from “getting a fix” on Perry, won’t keep you from seriously looking at him. If anything, those posters are instructive as they should make people wonder why they feel it is necessary to hit every Perry thread as quickly and as often as possible to try and stop discussion.

In 1998 Rick Perry was elected the first Republican Lt. Gov. since Reconstruction. He became governor in 2000 when Bush moved into the White House. In 2010 the GOP took enough seats to have a super majority. Perry beat the Rove-Bush-Hutchison Machine primary challenge, going on to win re-election and becoming the longest serving Texas governor in state history.

Did you have anything about the article you wanted to comment on, highlight?

It’s not like I have to make a decision today. I will keep my eyes and ears open. I don’t really care how many people call Perry or anyone else names, I don’t let other people make my decision for me. Just posting to derail people discussing someone you’ve already made your mind up about makes no sense to me. I don’t like Romney based on my long history with him as a pol in Massachusetts, but if people posted threads about him in support, I would hope I’d discuss points made and positions he had, and not just toss “RINO!” around. I just don’t get that.

Keep posting, I (and I’m sure others) will keep reading. It’s always cool to see your enthusiasm, since you are into pumping your guy up and not just tearing people down.

Mozilo's Countrywide had been the first to embrace the homeownership push back in1995and had therefore become

a central player in Clinton's public-private partnership.

And since1998, Countrywide had also become crucial to the fortunes of Fannie Mae, and the personal wealth of Fannie employees who received special mortgage deals from the lender...--Reckless Endangerrment; pg 182

Rick switched, and I dont know him anymore, Stenholm said. He recognized that if you were going to be ambitious on a statewide level, the GOP was the way to go in Texas.

I'd hardly call this admiration, grudging, or otherwise. Stenholm is confirming what most of us already know. Perry is an untrustworthy opportunist who will do what is conveninet and expedient to advance his ambitions; not necessarily what's best for state/country.

Rick Perry grew up in conservatism. He was small town boy who attended TX A&M and was in the Corps of Cadets. He went on to fly C-130s for the U.S. Air Force (5 years). In 1984 at the age of 33, Perry ran for office as a Democrat (most Texans were raised as conservative Democrats). Five years later as the party kept moving Left, led by their national leadership, Perry joined (along with others) the burgeoning Republican Party, as it was the ideological home of the same conservatism Rick Perry had been raised with.

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